Judge and Executioner
by Reliquary
Summary: Darth Baras grows weary of his plans being thwarted by his former apprentice, and calls upon one of his most loyal servants to eliminate her once and for all. Spoilers for Chapter 3 of the Sith Warrior storyline. One-shot.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own SWTOR.

If you haven't played through Chapter 3 of the Sith Warrior storyline and want to avoid spoilers, I strongly suggest not reading this! ;)

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It was well after midnight on Dromund Kaas, and the citadel was quiet. The only sounds in Darth Baras' office were the tapping of the Sith Lord's boots as he paced back and forth in front of his desk, and the steady rasp of his breathing through his mask. Baras only paced when trying to work out a particularly difficult problem. Of late, he'd found himself walking to and fro across his office with increasing frequency.

Lord A'tro. Disposing of his apprentice had seemed an easy enough matter at the time. Send her to Quesh, arrange an explosion, a cave-in—a quick, simple death, one that couldn't be traced back to him. Perfect. But the damned woman had somehow escaped his trap, and to add insult to injury, killed his sister on Belsavis. Baras was still seething over that incident. When he'd received word that A'tro was going to Hoth to sabotage his attempts to see the insufferable Darth Vowrawn dead on Corellia, Baras had sent Lord Draagh to intercept her. Surely, he'd thought, Draagh would be able to remove the threat to Baras' power and avenge the death of Darth Ekkage.

But Baras had been proven wrong once more. A'tro's continued survival, once a minor annoyance, was now something he couldn't afford to ignore. Apparently, she'd been named the Emperor's Wrath, an appointment that Baras had no doubt was genuine. And now he'd just received a report that she had freed the Voice of the Emperor on Voss, although she'd had to kill the Voice's body to do it.

Once the Emperor invested his power into a new vessel, Baras would be exposed and condemned as a traitor. Fortunately, the ascension of a new Voice would take time—time that Baras could use. He would eliminate Darth Vowrawn, the most influential of Baras' opponents. With Vowrawn dead, Baras could convince the Dark Council to acknowledge him as the Voice. Let the Emperor try to oppose him then! Powerful as he was, the Emperor was only one man, and not nearly as strong as he had once been. Baras had no doubt that with Vowrawn gone, it would only be a matter of time before the Empire was securely under his control.

But there was a piece on the dejarik board standing between him and Vowrawn: A'tro.

Once Draagh's reconstruction was complete, Baras had no doubt that he could take on the aspiring Wrath with ease. However, Baras couldn't afford to wait that long. There was another, easier solution. In fact, it was so obvious that Baras wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.

The Sith Lord ceased his pacing. Moving over to the holoprojector, he entered a comm frequency and settled down to wait. After several minutes, the projector flickered with light, resolving into the image of Baras' most valuable source of information on his former apprentice's movements.

"Lord Baras," Malavai Quinn said with a respectful bow. His holoimage glanced furtively over his shoulder. "The rest of the crew has retired for the sleep cycle. I should be able to keep this channel open for a few minutes."

"Very good, Captain," Baras said. "Your latest report was most insightful. Tell me, now that my former apprentice has finished her work on Voss, where does she intend to move next?"

"She has not yet reported to the Emperor's Hand, my lord, but she has mentioned Corellia. I believe that will be our next destination."

"Vowrawn," Baras said grimly. "The Hand has no doubt caught wind of the assassins I sent after him, and warned her accordingly. She'll need his support if she wants to move against me."

"As far as I know, that is her plan, my lord," Quinn agreed.

"As soon as she joins forces with Vowrawn, eliminating either of them will become far more difficult," Baras mused. "Best to make sure my assassins can work unhindered. I have a task for you, Quinn."

Quinn somehow managed to stand even straighter. "How may I serve you, my lord?"

"Lord A'tro cannot be allowed to reach Corellia. She must die without ever setting foot upon its surface. You—" Baras pointed at Quinn, "—will see to it."

"Yes, Lord Baras," Quinn said softly. He clasped his hands behind his back. "As you command."

Baras detected a slight note of hesitation in his voice. "Do you have a problem with this assignment, Captain?"

"It is my duty to obey your orders without question, my lord," Quinn answered smoothly.

A perfect, politic answer—exactly what Baras expected from Quinn. It also entirely avoided the question.

"Is there some difficulty you have with killing my former apprentice?" Baras demanded, abandoning any attempt at subtlety.

"It won't be difficult at all, my lord," Quinn said. This time, his voice was devoid of any emotion whatsoever. Baras could have been speaking to a droid. "I could do it right now, if you'd like. Simplicity itself, my lord."

Baras frowned. He'd observed Quinn very carefully during their various interactions over the years. It hadn't taken long to figure out that the more Quinn was emotionally invested in something, the more detached he became when it was brought up in conversation. One mention of the incident at Druckenwell, and the man simply shut down. So what was he trying to hide now?

Baras decided to test the waters. "Best to wait, and lure her into a situation where you have the upper hand. You are a highly capable individual, Quinn, but she is a Sith, and a powerful one at that."

"Yes, my lord," Quinn said quickly. "I had considered that, my lord—thus my earlier hesitation."

"I thought you said it would be simple, Captain?" Baras inquired.

Quinn paused, looking somewhat flustered. "I hadn't considered the presence of the crew, my lord. Getting her alone should be easy enough."

"She trusts you, then?" Baras asked.

"I don't—" Quinn stopped and took a breath, then started again. "Yes, my lord. She does."

So that was it. Baras had always been confident in Quinn's ability to work his way into A'tro's good graces, but it seemed that he'd formed some sort of attachment to her in the process. Unfortunate, but Baras was certain that Quinn would follow orders whatever his relationship with the woman he was going to betray.

"Then luring her into a trap should be simple," Baras said decisively. "I'll send one of my class-A starships to a remote system—I'll provide you with the coordinates. Invent some ruse to take her there before going to Corellia. I'll leave the details up to you."

"Yes, my lord."

"Once aboard the ship, you may slay her in whatever manner you see fit." Baras paused for effect. "Just try to keep the body…recognizable."

Quinn swallowed hard. "I—I believe I can manage that, my lord."

"Excellent," Baras said silkily. "Do you have any questions?"

"Actually, my lord," Quinn said slowly, "An idea has just occurred to me. If A'tro suspects a trap, I won't be able to face her alone. If you could arrange for some advanced war droids—two should be sufficient—to be aboard the ship, I can program them specifically to fight her. I've observed her in combat often enough; I know how she fights."

"That idea has merit, Captain," Baras said thoughtfully. "I will provide the droids. If you can program them to be as lethal as you say, you might not have to even be present for her death. You could completely hide your involvement in the matter."

Quinn frowned. "That—hadn't occurred to me, my lord."

"It might prove useful to deflect the suspicions of the crew. Speaking of which, there is a secondary objective to this assignment. I would like Jaesa Willsaam brought to me alive, if you can manage it. Her power would be a major asset."

"I'll do what I can, my lord," Quinn said dubiously. "She's quite…volatile, however, and very devoted to Lord A'tro. Bringing her alive might not be possible."

Baras shrugged. "If she proves too uncooperative then by all means, kill her. As long as her master dies, Jaesa's fate is of small importance. What about the rest of the crew? Could any of them be useful?"

Quinn's mouth twisted in distaste. "The Twi'lek is good for very little—I'd be more than happy to eliminate her. The Talz warrior has potential. I can try to reason with him, but…" He shrugged. "As for Lieutenant Pierce, my lord, I suppose he's physically capable, but I wouldn't bother with him."

Baras waved a hand dismissively. "So be it, then. You have your assignment, Quinn: kill A'tro, give me Jaesa, if you can, and kill the others. I leave the details of the operation to your discretion."

"Yes, my lord." Quinn bowed. "I'll send the programming for the droids shortly."

"One more thing, Captain," Baras said sharply.

"My lord?"

Baras folded his arms in front of him. "Lord A'tro is a renegade, an obstacle to the fruition of my plans. Your opinion of her is irrelevant. You will kill her, for the good of the Empire. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Lord Baras," Quinn said coldly. "I will not fail you, even if it costs me my life."

"Very good, Captain," Baras murmured. "That will be all. Report back to me when she is dead."

"As you command, my lord," Quinn said quietly, and closed the channel.

Darth Baras smiled to himself. A good plan, one his former apprentice would never see coming. Quinn had never failed him before, and Baras had no doubt that the captain would carry out this latest assignment with his characteristic skill and efficiency. With the thorn in his side removed, Baras could continue with his plan to gain control of the Dark Council, and usher in a glorious new age for the Empire.

It was almost a pity that A'tro had to die. It would have been gratifying to capture her alive, if only to torment her with the knowledge of his victory. But that posed too much of a risk, so Baras contented himself with the certainty that her days were numbered.

A small sliver of doubt floated unbidden into Baras' thoughts. A'tro had survived certain death before. What if this latest attempt on her life proved as futile as the others? She would not take betrayal lightly, and her anger would only strengthen her. Could it be that he was playing right into her hands?

Behind his mask, Baras scowled. The success of the plan hinged on Quinn doing as he was told, which the man was exceptionally good at. While Quinn had no doubt come to respect, perhaps even admire A'tro over the course of his service to her, Baras was certain that Quinn's loyalty to him would prove stronger.

Baras nodded to himself. Yes, this was going to turn out well. It was foolish to doubt. Quinn would do his job, and do it well. It was hard to find an officer with that kind of devotion to furthering the Empire's interests. Directed against the right targets, few things were more dangerous than zealotry. That was what made Quinn such a valuable asset.

It was a double-edged blade, of course; if Quinn ever found something that meant more to him than his loyalty to Baras, he would prove a dangerous enemy. But what were the odds of that happening?


End file.
